Suicide is not a joke. It's not a something to joke around with. I couldn't even finish this episode because it was too hard. I have known people who have taken their lives, and to hear that a young person was not 100% and was only thinking of it, makes me so sad. There are way to many pressures that our kids have and they are only beginning to learn how to handle their rapidly growing minds and bodies.

There were approximately 100,000 teen (15-19 year-olds) suicide deaths over the 40 year period between 1975 through 2015, the most recent year covered by the study.

Boys take their lives at 3-4 times the rate of girls. The suicide rate for teen boys saw a rise that peaked in the late ‘80s and early ‘90s, then lowered in the late ‘90s and early 2000’s. This may be attributed to pediatricians increasingly taking on the role of treating depression. However, the rate has unfortunately been rising again since 2006.

The suicide rate for teen girls had a similar but less dramatic pattern. There has been an increase for girls over the last 10-12 years.

It’s worth noting there are fluctuations in suicide rates of all age groups over time. Youth rates remain significantly lower compared to every older age group. (https://afsp.org/teens-and-suicide-what-parents-should-know)